Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 3138: Soul Cores & Soul Gems

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Azorheim, Temporal Cave Valley, Temporal Cave No. ES3030

Unlike the Dark Races’ artificial cores, my soul cores would be one hundred percent natural and homegrown, quite literally.

The best part was that they would also reduce the card apprentice’s burden of forging an Ego Gem.

The core-condensation technique I had developed with Hive Spirit and Dredre used the Ego Gem forging technique as its foundation. That meant the process didn’t have to end with a simple soul core.

Those who possessed a soul core could eventually reforge it into their own Soul Gem.

And because the soul core had been condensed specifically from their own body and soul, the resulting Soul Gem would start with a high synchronization rate from the very beginning.

That was exactly what I wanted.

The current clients would also have another advantage. If they managed to break through the Card World Baptism, the baptism would further refine their soul core or Soul Gem, allowing the foundation I had given them to evolve alongside them.

Yep, the soul-core-condensation version of the smart array was going to be installed in major hospitals across the New Empire too.

It wouldn’t be cheap, of course.

A little expensive, but still affordable.

I wasn’t being greedy. Condensing a soul core consumed a tremendous amount of soul energy, and the smart array itself was a glutton. The higher the realm of the soul core being condensed, the longer the array had to operate. The longer it ran, the more soul energy it consumed, and eventually that translated into a very large bill in Soul Jades.

Fortunately, bulk orders could offset much of the cost.

Every day, new Card Apprentices would be born. And every new Card Apprentice would need a Soul Core Origin Card.

Once the process became routine and enough people used it, the sheer volume would make the economics work. I could sustain it till then.

In a way, I was basically handing my citizens my own secrets to strength.

Well, almost.

I wasn’t exactly giving them my Viltronian heritage, World Calamity Tree heritage, Soul division and mutation power system, the enhancements from Pixie Dust, or the boost provided by Primordial Energy.

Those were still mine. But everything else? They could have. The thought didn’t bother me, actually quite the opposite. The stronger my citizens became, the stronger the New Empire became. And if I could turn my own path to strength into something my entire Empire could benefit from, then there was no reason to keep it locked away.

My strength made me powerful. Their strength would make my Empire powerful. That was an exchange I was more than willing to make.

Just as Hive Spirit and I were working on the array formation, I received word from my clones that all the mortals had successfully completed their treatments.

Not only had they all become Card Apprentices, but their bodies had also regained their youth to a level comparable to their middle age. The illnesses and ailments that had plagued them for years were gone, their vitality had been restored, and their bodies were once again healthy enough for them to return to Card World.

That was considerably better than simply giving them a longer lifespan. I had basically fulfilled their life long wish.

I contacted Henricks, who was still waiting outside the cave, and asked him to take the newly promoted Card Apprentices back to Card World.

Once they were safely on their way, I returned to building the smart array formation for condensing Soul Cores.

After countless rounds of trial and error through Hive Spirit’s simulations, I finally settled on a user interface for the smart array that was simple enough for practically anyone to understand.

I based it loosely on the interface used by the VR-Universe. It was intuitive, straightforward, and didn’t require the user to understand the complicated principles operating beneath the surface. Better yet, it had access to Hive Spirit’s numerous Hive Bots, which could guide users through the process, answer questions, and troubleshoot problems.

I planned to release both the Soul Core condensation technique and the smart array throughout the New Empire.

That way, this wouldn’t become something only the wealthy could afford.

Anyone willing to put in the effort could cultivate the technique, while those who wanted a faster and more convenient route could use the smart array. It was another investment into the strength of the Empire.

Once the smart array was completed, I established it in another section of space and instructed my clones to begin treating the Card Apprentice batch of clients informing them that there was one important condition, the procedure would consume one of their Origin Card slots in their grimoire.

I made sure every client was informed of that before undergoing the procedure. If anyone disliked the arrangement or decided that sacrificing an Origin Card slot wasn’t worth the benefits, they were free to refuse.

They could simply wait until I came up with another method better suited to their circumstances.

But no one opposed. All the Card Apprentices accepted the treatment readily.

Some felt as though they were getting twice the benefit for the price of one. They were receiving an Origin Card while simultaneously gaining a significant extension to their lifespan. From their perspective, it was an absurdly good deal.

Others had already given up on becoming stronger.

They had spent years watching their bodies deteriorate and waiting for the inevitable end. For them, the prospect of living another few decades was already more than enough. The Origin Card was almost an afterthought.

Then there were the ambitious ones.

They were the most hesitant at first.

Giving up an Origin Card slot was no small decision for someone who still dreamed of climbing higher. But their hesitation disappeared once they learned what they were actually receiving.

The Soul Core Origin Card wasn’t the end of the road.

It could eventually be reforged into a Soul Gem, an existence more advanced than the regular Ego Gem, and because the core had been condensed specifically for them, the resulting Soul Gem would possess an exceptionally high synchronization rate.

That changed everything.

These people had come here expecting to bargain for a few additional decades of life.

Instead, I was offering them a lifeline, a healthier body, an Origin Card, a stronger foundation, and a path toward greater strength.

Naturally, they were more than willing to take me up on the procedure I had offered them in exchange for their merits.